Patent Application
20250070527
The present invention generally relates to construction/manufacturing and packaging of optoelectronic devices and more specifically to integrating optoelectronic devices in monolithic enclosures.
Various types of enclosures are used to house components of apparatus, instruments and devices. Enclosures are required to house the components as well as printed circuit boards (PCBs) on which such components may have already been mounted. Enclosures are also used to include power supplies for the apparatus as well as cooling systems for transporting away the heat generated by various components of such apparatus.
There are many techniques in the prior art for making enclosures for housing components of electronic devices. U.S. Pat. No. 8,050,893 B2 to Lilley et al. discloses a method, a computer-based system and a computer-readable medium having computer-readable code. This is to accomplish creating the specifications for the fabrication of a fully customized enclosure for housing internal components. First a suitable three-dimensional (3D) template representing a basic form of the enclosure is chosen from a plurality of predetermined 3D templates and sizes. Each face of the enclosure is selected and customized by selecting specific design features from a range of predetermined design options as necessary until a complete set of specifications for the enclosure are obtained.
U.S. Patent Publication No. 2006/0207780 A1 to Shinmura et al. discloses a structural body including a first housing body accommodating electronic components and a second housing body accommodating electronic components. Fitting plane of the first and second housing bodies include a liquid passage area and a communicating passage area. The liquid passage area includes a cooling passage in which cooling liquid flows. The communicating passage area includes a communicating passage that connects housing chambers of the first and second housing bodies. Furthermore, a single sealing member is disposed on the fitting plane to independently surround and seal the liquid passage area and the communicating passage area.
U.S. Patent Publication No. 2023/0156978 A1 to Aal teaches a central compute unit configured for a vehicle and a pocket module for electronics. The main frame for mounting and connecting vehicular components in the vehicle includes a plurality of slots configured to support a plurality of pocket modules. A main frame interface is configured to connect the plurality of pocket modules with a communication network, and to couple the plurality of pocket modules with a cooling circuit.
U.S. Patent Publication No. 2022/0354028 A1 to Verhoog discusses an alveolar cooling structure configured to dissipate the heat generated by at least one electronic component placed on an upper surface of a substrate. The alveolar cooling structure remains in contact with an inner surface of the substrate. The alveolar cooling structure comprises cells, the cell edges of which increase a total contact surface between the alveolar cooling structure and a cooling fluid. The structure contains pores defined by the cells and distributed in the volume of the alveolar cooling structure. The cooling fluid circulates through the pores and/or through the spaces between the pores.
The prior art is also replete with techniques for packaging individual components of electronic devices. U.S. Patent Publication No. 2022/0127463 A1 to Waterloo et al. teaches a method of manufacturing such a package. In one example, a package for encapsulating an electronic component includes a first cured mold compound, wherein the first cured mold compound includes a resin and filler particles embedded in the resin. The filler particles include a second cured mold compound. The first cured mold compound is based on a first curing act and the second cured mold compound is based on a second curing act different from the first curing act.
U.S. Patent Publication No. 2020/0254663 A1 to Kazuno et al. describes a method of manufacturing an electronic device that includes a step of housing an electronic component in a metal mold. The metal mold is filled with a molding material, wherein the metal mold includes a cavity having a rectangular planar shape housing the electronic component. Also included is a dummy cavity communicated with a side surface having the smallest gap with the electronic component out of four side surfaces included in the cavity. The molding material inflows into the cavity in the step of filling the metal mold with the molding material, and the molding material in the cavity also inflows into the dummy cavity.
When it comes to enclosing or housing optoelectrical or optoelectronic apparatus, instruments or devices, or optoelectronic apparatus for short, the typical approach is to mount or fasten the various components onto a honeycomb plate or onto an underlying platform engineered from a suitably stiff material for providing optical stability to the components. Such a honeycomb plate is also sometimes referred to as an optical breadboard or just a breadboard. One example of such an optoelectronic apparatus is a laser resonator module, or simply a laser resonator or a laser device or module. The laser resonator/module may be a standalone apparatus or a building block of a larger laser system.
Regardless, the components of the laser module are first secured in their respective housings. The housings are then attached or fastened to their mounts and the mounts are then in turn attached/fastened to the optical breadboard or platform. The optical components or optics are also aligned or registered to each other as needed to perform their requisite functions. Now, there are two ways to align/register these optical components or optics in the traditional art.
In the first prior art approach, the optics are attached or fastened to adjustable mounts. For this purpose, an optic may be clamped in/to an adjustable mount with the aid of mounting plates or retaining rings or it may be bonded to the adjustable mount. The adjustable mount can be adjusted (via adjusting/adjustment screws) at the factory or the production facility or thereafter as needed during the operation of the device i.e. in the “field”. In short, in the first prior art approach, the optics are fastened to adjustable mounts and are aligned by adjusting these adjustable mounts.
In the second prior art approach, the optics are aligned using (temporary) external fixturing that has adjustments to align the optics. An optic is attached to the fixturing and aligned. In close proximity to the external fixturing holding the optic is a fixed or non-adjustable mount. The optic is then bonded/glued to the non-adjustable mount while maintaining the correct alignment obtained by the fixturing. Once the glue cures, the (temporary) external fixturing is removed and the optic is permanently fixed to its non-adjustable mount without being adjustable thereafter. A given prior art device may also use a combination of the above two approaches for aligning/registering its optics.
The problems with the first prior art approach include complexity of the adjustable mount with very fine pitch adjusting screws, springs, pivot points, and other parts. Furthermore, the alignment of these mounts is prone to shifting during shipping and handling due to shocks, vibrations, or thermal shifts/changes. Among the shortcomings of the second prior art approach is that an optic can shift during curing because of the difficulty of making the external fixturing rigid enough. Further, the optic can still move due to thermal shifts of its fixed/non-adjustable mount since it sticks up in the air. When either of these scenarios happens, the fixed mount cannot be adjusted. Also, the entire device/resonator must be returned to the factory if an optic gets damaged and needs to be replaced.
The optical breadboard or platform also has a substantial thickness so as to afford rigidity and stability to the optical components of the laser module and to discourage their misalignment during the operational lifetime of the system. In general, traditional laser systems are thus characterized by their size, weight, and complexity. Numerous components need to be separately manufactured, assembled and aligned. Further, they often require substantial cooling systems and are susceptible to environmental interference including vibration and electromagnetic interference.
A top view of one such optoelectronic apparatus or laser module 10 of the prior art utilizing a honeycomb breadboard plate 12 is shown in
The various components of prior art laser resonator 10 in their respective housings are as follows. There is a high-reflection (HR) mirror assembly 14, a vertical quenching switch or Q-switch 16, a horizontal Q-switch 18, a first fold/folding mirror 20, a diode pump module (DPM) assembly 22, a second fold mirror 24, a second harmonic generation (SHG) assembly 26 and an optical shutter 28 from which laser beam 30 comes out. The “Q” in Q-switch refers to the quality factor of a resonant system. In the context of lasers, the quality factor represents the efficiency of the optical cavity of the laser to store energy. Because of the folded design afforded by fold mirrors 20 and 24, prior art laser module 10 is also sometimes referred to as a folded resonator.
Once again, notice from
Table 1 below provides the bill of materials (BOM) 1 of folded laser resonator 10 of the prior art shown in
Notice from BOM 1 of Table 1 above the large number of parts or items required by the prior art design. The total quantity of parts in the prior art laser resonator 10 of
Regardless, the large number of parts in the prior art need to be machined or manufactured and this increases the cost and production times of the final or end device/product. This complexifies the supply chain of the device. The plethora of parts, including the thick honeycomb breadboard, mounts and housings require additional raw materials to produce that increases the overall weight and cost of the system. This also increases shipping and handling costs for the prior art products.
Moreover, additional steps for the alignment of optics are required to be performed after mounting in the traditional approaches. Such steps further increase the labor and production costs of the product, leading to poor business economics.
Further, unless extreme care is exercised during shipping and handling, the above alignment in the prior art devices is sensitive to mechanical disturbances, which could lead to misalignment. This in turn could lead to poor performance and/or malfunctioning of the devices during operation and overall diminution of reliability.
Furthermore, prior art devices require deionized water under pressure as coolant. Deionized water is used along with a deionizing filter and an ultra-violet (UV) sterilizer. This further necessitates using non-galvanic materials such as stainless steel for all wetted surfaces to keep the water pure and to prevent the build-up of algae as well as galvanization and/or photo-plating of ions on the optical flow tube, laser rod, and other optical components. All of the above increases the cost of the system.
In view of the shortcomings of the prior art, it is an object of the invention to provide techniques for a monolithic enclosure in which optoelectronic apparatus/devices can be integrated or embedded.
It is also an object of the invention to construct/produce such a monolithic enclosure from metal foam.
It is also an object of the invention to construct/produce such a monolithic enclosure from a carbon-based material such as carbon fiber, carbon nanotubes and graphene.
It is further an object of the invention to include pockets/cavities in the monolithic enclosure in which various components of the optoelectronic apparatus/device can be fastened/housed.
It is also an object of the invention to include channels in the monolithic enclosure for carrying electrical connections between the components of the optoelectronic apparatus/device.
It is also an object of the invention to contain channels through which light can travel between various components of the optoelectronic apparatus/device.
It is also an object of the invention to include channels through which a coolant can travel to/from the heated components of the optoelectronic apparatus/device.
It is also an object of the invention to 3D-print such a monolithic enclosure.
It is further an object of the invention to have an infill pattern for the monolithic enclosure.
It is also an object of the invention to not require deionized water as a coolant for the optoelectronic apparatus/device.
Still other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon reading the summary and the detailed description in conjunction with the drawing figures.
A number of objects and advantages of the invention are achieved by apparatus and methods for a monolithic enclosure of an optoelectronic apparatus or device. The monolithic enclosure of the present design is preferably made out of metal foam or metallic foam and in it the components of the optoelectronic apparatus/device are integrated. Alternatively, the instant monolithic enclosure is constructed out of a carbon-based material including carbon fiber, carbon nanotubes and graphene. The instant monolithic integrated enclosure may also be referred to as an integrated monolithic enclosure or an integrated enclosure or a monolithic enclosure.
There are various advantageous properties found in metal foam that make it suitable for constructing an instant monolithic enclosure of the preferred embodiments. Many of these properties are shared by carbon-based source materials (or just materials for short) used for producing the instant enclosure of the alternative embodiments. These properties include among others, high tensile strength, elevated stiffness/rigidity, light weight, high energy absorption and damping, high thermal insulation and large surface area as well as internal and external electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding.
The optoelectronic apparatus/device comprises various components. The components may be purely electronic components such as microprocessors, microcontrollers, integrated circuits (ICs) in general, resistors, capacitors and the like. Alternatively or in addition, the components may be purely optical components, such as lenses, mirrors, prisms and the like.
Still alternatively or in addition, the components may be optical-electric or optical-electronic or optoelectronic components for short, consisting of a combination of optical and electrical/electronic elements. Exemplarily, such optoelectronic components include photodiodes (including solar cells), phototransistors, photomultipliers, opto-isolators, integrated optical circuit (IOC) elements, photoresistors, photoconductive camera tubes, charge-coupled devices (CCDs), laser diodes, quantum cascade lasers, light-emitting diodes, optocouplers and the like.
According to the chief aspects, there are a number of pockets or cavities built into the instant integrated enclosure into which are integrated the components of the optoelectronic apparatus/device, such as the ones mentioned above. The integration is accomplished by directly fastening/attaching/bolting/screwing only the essential elements of the components into the enclosure, and more specifically in the pockets/cavities of the enclosure. As a result, the present design eliminates the need for complex housings and mounts that the essential elements of optoelectronic components require in the prior art.
The monolithic enclosure of the present design also has a set of channels for housing and routing electrical/electronic connections between the various components of an instant optoelectronic device. Such connections may take the form of electrical wires or cables, fiberoptic cables, harnesses or any other electrical/electronic interconnects weaved through the connection channels. In short, the first set of channels referred to as connection channels or wiring channels accommodates connections that electrically connect the requisite components to operate the optoelectronic device.
The monolithic enclosure of the present design also has another set of channels for serving as sealed optical paths for light to propagate or travel between the various or optical optoelectronic components of the instant device. These channels, referred to as optical channels, may be used for transmitting and receiving laser beams between the optoelectronic components, and more specifically their optical elements.
The monolithic integrated enclosure of the present design has yet another set of channels for flowing a coolant or cooling fluid to and from various components of the instant device that require cooling. Referred to as coolant channels, these channels transport a coolant, such as water, towards a heated component integrated into the instant enclosure. Because of the large surface area afforded by these channels integrated into the instant enclosure, a more effective heat-exchange from the heated component to the coolant in these channels takes place than the prior art techniques.
The heat absorbing coolant is then brought away from the heated components in these coolant channels and outside of the enclosure for recycling and/or replenishment. Preferably, the coolant utilized in enclosures of the present design is non-deionized water or simply “tap water”. The inside surfaces of the above-mentioned channels of an instant enclosure are solid and smooth and have a given thickness. This ensures hermetic sealing of those channels and consequently of the enclosure. Furthermore, any other internal/external surfaces of the enclosure are also solid and smooth for bonding, and for aesthetic purposes.
In a preferred embodiment, the optoelectronic device integrated into the present metallic foam based monolithic enclosure is a laser apparatus, device or module. A laser module typically contains a variety of optoelectronic components and is ideally suited to benefit from the instant enclosure. Preferably, the optoelectronic components, and more specifically their optical elements, integrated into the instant enclosure are pre-aligned or pre-registered by or within the enclosure. This means that there is no need for performing a separate step of alignment of these optical components post-production as in the techniques of the prior art. Based on the present principles, there is also no need of realignment in the field or returning the device to the factory when an optic needs replacing/replacement.
As mentioned, the instant monolithic enclosure is made out of one of various materials including metallic foams as well as carbon-based materials including but not limited to carbon fiber, carbon nanotubes and graphene. These materials offer a number of desirable properties to the instant enclosure, some of which were mentioned above. As a result, the instant enclosure has a much higher degree of optical stability and precision of the optoelectronic components than otherwise possible. Consequently, the frequency of light used in a laser module integrated into an instant enclosure can be easily multiplied or increased in various embodiments. This increase can be up to doubling of the frequency, tripling, quadrupling or even more. Also, ultrafast lasers including picosecond, femtosecond and attosecond lasers can easily be produced by the present technology.
In the preferred embodiments, the monolithic enclosure of the present design is produced or printed by a three-dimensional printer or a 3D-printer. For this purpose, a 3D model of the enclosure containing all its features is preferably created first, and then provided to the printer for 3D-printing. Advantageously, the 3D-printer can also be used to produce a variety of desirable infill patterns for the enclosure depending on the variations of the present embodiments. The infill patterns may be chosen according to the requirements of a given application of the present technology.
In alternate embodiments, the present enclosure may also be machined from a slab of the source material which is preferably metal foam. The metal foam slab may itself have a desired infill pattern. Still alternatively, the instant monolithic enclosure may be produced by a casting process that utilizes a liquid metal foam poured into a mold to produce the instant enclosure. In the same or related embodiments, the metal foam that the instant enclosure is composed of primarily comprises an aluminum compound or alloy. Alternatively, the metal foam may comprise of any other suitable compound or alloy of metals including copper, nickel, titanium, steel, magnesium and zinc or be composed of any other suitable material.
As a result of the present design, a practitioner achieves much better business economics for producing optoelectronic apparatus/devices that are functionally equivalent to prior art apparatus/devices. This is because the present principles greatly reduce the required inventory of parts, complexity of design and costs as compared to prevailing techniques.
The present approach also has the very desirable attribute that the enclosures as well as any custom designs can be “printed on demand”. This obviates the need to buy large quantities of parts to achieve economy of scale, and without scrapping of obsolete parts when the design is changed. The present design also accrues many desirable technical properties to the optoelectronic device including higher optical reliability, robustness, better heat absorption and light weight among others.
The systems of the present technology provide a monolithic enclosure comprising one or more pockets for integrating components of an optoelectronic apparatus, at least one connection channel for connecting two or more of said components, at least one optical channel for propagating light between two or more of said components and at least one coolant channel for transporting a coolant to and from at least one of said components. The monolithic enclosure is preferably made out of metal foam. Alternatively, it is made out of a suitable carbon-based material including carbon fiber, carbon nanotubes and graphene.
The methods of the present technology comprise the steps of (a) integrating components of an optoelectronic device into one or more cavities of a monolithic enclosure, said monolithic enclosure composed of a metal foam or a suitable carbon-based material, (b) connecting two or more of said components via a first channel of said monolithic enclosure, (c) propagating light between two or more of said components in a second channel of said monolithic enclosure, and (d) transporting in a third channel of said monolithic enclosure, a coolant to and from at least one of said components.
Clearly, the system and methods of the invention find many advantageous embodiments. The details of the invention, including its preferred embodiments, are presented in the below detailed description with reference to the appended drawing figures.
The figures and the following description relate to preferred embodiments of the present invention by way of illustration only. It should be noted that from the following discussion, alternative embodiments of the structures and methods disclosed herein will be readily recognized as viable alternatives that may be employed without departing from the principles of the claimed invention.
Reference will now be made in detail to several embodiments of the present invention(s), examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying figures. It is noted that wherever practicable, similar or like reference numbers may be used in the figures and may indicate similar or like functionality. The figures depict embodiments of the present invention for purposes of illustration only. One skilled in the art will readily recognize from the following description that alternative embodiments the structures and methods illustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principles of the invention described herein.
Let us now review the techniques for a monolithic integrated enclosure or an integrated monolithic enclosure or simply a monolithic enclosure or an integrated enclosure for housing modules, implements, optoelectronic devices, apparatus, instruments, systems and the like based on the instant principles, by taking advantage of enclosure/platform 100 as shown in
Now, folded laser resonator 101 shown in
According to the chief aspects, the present design does not require elaborate housings for the essential optical and electrical/electronic elements/optics, and then attaching those housings to mounts and mounting the mounts to a honeycomb. Instead, and as practicable, essential elements/optics are now directly attached to instant monolithic enclosure 100.
Consequently, these essential elements/optics are already pre-aligned to each other by the enclosure itself per the teachings provided herein. As noted in the background section in reference to
We call our instant enclosure 100 of
Instead, enclosure 100 is produced as a single or singular monolithic object, and is produced using one of a number of possible techniques further discussed below. The various optoelectrical or optoelectronic components of final optoelectronic apparatus/device or product 101 are accommodated in various pockets or cavities built into enclosure 100 as shown in
Before proceeding further, it is worthwhile to note that we use the term optoelectrical or optoelectronic to refer to components that may be purely optical, purely electrical or purely electronic components. They may also be hybrid components that comprise any combination of optical, electrical and electronic elements. Sometimes, the term electrotechnical is used to refer to elements or capabilities that encompass both electronic and electrical elements, characteristics/properties or capabilities.
Exemplarily, purely optical components may be lenses, mirrors, prisms and the like. Exemplarily, purely electronic components may be microprocessors, microcontrollers, or integrated circuits (ICs) in general, as well as resistors, capacitors and the like. These electronic components may also already be mounted on a printed circuit board (PCB) using techniques known in the art. Exemplarily, hybrid components include photodiodes (including solar cells), phototransistors, photomultipliers, opto-isolators, integrated circuit optical (IOC) elements, photoresistors, photoconductive camera tubes, charge-coupled devices (CCDs), laser diodes, quantum cascade lasers, light-emitting diodes, optocouplers and the like.
To avoid repetition, we will use the term electronic to include both electronic as well as electrical elements/capabilities/properties i.e. all electrotechnical elements/capabilities/properties. Similarly, we will use the term electrical to include both electronic as well as electrical elements/capabilities/properties i.e. all electrotechnical elements/capabilities/properties. In short, we will use the term optoelectronic components to include any and all optical, electrical, electronic, hybrid and electrotechnical components. Similarly, we will use the term optoelectronic apparatus or device or instrument or implement or module or product to include any and all optical, electrical, electronic, hybrid and electrotechnical apparatus or devices or instruments or implements or modules or products or systems.
Further, in the teachings provided herein, not all the elements in the numerous drawing figures are explicitly shown or marked by reference numerals for reasons of clarity and to maintain focus on the principles being taught. Referring now to
More specifically, and referring now to
Our new HR function/submodule in pocket/cavity 102 of enclosure 100 has lot better business economics and technical properties than HR assembly 14 of the prior art. This is at least because it does not require parts to produce its housing. It also does not require parts to produce the mounts for the housing. It also does not require parts to attach the housing to the mount and also does not require parts to attach the mount to a honeycomb HR assembly 14 of
There is also a pocket 104 for accommodating a vertical quenching switch or Q-switch in instant enclosure 100 and more specifically for accommodating only its essential elements for apparatus 101. The new vertical Q-switch in
One pair of such a screw 105A and its receptacle 105B are marked by reference numerals and a dotted line in the exploded 3D solid and exploded 3D transparent isometric views of
Once again, the new vertical Q-switch in pocket 104 is functionality equivalent to vertical Q-switch of assembly 16 of
There is also a pocket 106 for a horizontal Q-switch in instant enclosure 100 of
Once again, the new horizontal Q-switch in pocket 106 is functionality equivalent to horizontal Q-switch of assembly 18 of
As shown in
The present design provides a precise alignment and eliminates any concern about a wedge angle on optic 108A. Wedge angle is discussed in detail further below. In a manner analogous to the new HR submodule/function in pocket 102, the new vertical Q-switch in pocket 104 and the new horizontal Q-switch in pocket 106, new first fold mirror 108A of enclosure 100 also has lot better business economics and technical properties than fold mirror 20 of
Referring to
In practice, there may also be any other requisite electronic components, such as resistors, capacitors and the like that are attached to a printed circuit board (PCB) first. Then, the PCB assembly along with one or more laser diodes is fastened to enclosure 100 as shown in
The instant design eliminates a large number of parts and support structures shown earlier in reference to DPM assembly 22 of the prior art of
Now, there is also a pocket 112 for a second fold/folding or a 45° bending mirror. Unlike subassembly 50 of
A wedge angle only becomes a concern when the laser beam is propagating through an optic and not while it is reflecting off the front surface of the optic. When propagating through the optic, any wedge angle will cause refraction of the beam when exiting the optic according to Snell's Law, causing it to deviate from the preferred optical axis, and/or causing multiple reflections within the cavity of the device. In general, a wedge angle of a few arcminutes is often sufficient to prevent multiple reflections or significant refraction in an optical system. Currently, for commercial optics, wedge angles are available on the order of a few arcseconds, making the effect insignificant for some applications.
Per the present design, HR mirror 102A, output or front SHG mirror 118A as well as fold mirrors 108A/112A all reflect off the front surface of the mirrors, thus eliminating any concern of a wedge angle. In a manner analogous to the new HR submodule/function in pocket 102, the new vertical Q-switch in pocket 104, the new horizontal Q-switch in pocket 106, new first fold mirror 108 and new DPM in pocket 110, new second fold mirror 112A of enclosure 100 also has lot better business economics and technical properties than fold mirror 24 of
There are further three pockets 114, 116 and 118 for accommodating a respectively second harmonic generator/generation (SHG) input mirror 114A, an SHG crystal 116A and an SHG output mirror 118A as shown in
Pocket 116 has an SHG crystal 116A housed in copper blocks as shown in
The new housing for crystal 116A is also fastened into pocket 116 with the help of fastening/mounting screws. These screws are screwed into respective threaded sockets or receptacles preferably 3D-printed, or alternatively provided per above teachings, directly into enclosure 100. One pair of such a screw 117A and its receptacle 117B are marked by reference numerals and a dotted line in the 3D exploded solid and 3D exploded transparent isometric views of
Pocket 118 has an output mirror 118A that is seated against and bonded/affixed to its face 118A facing crystal 116A as shown in
There is also a pocket 120 that integrates only the essential elements of the new shutter assembly for optoelectronic device 101 in enclosure 100 of
The laser beam outputted by our new shutter assembly in pocket 120 exits as output of laser resonator 101 through optic 122 in
There are also a number of channels designed into monolithic enclosure 100 of the instant design. The outline of these channels can be seen in the interior of enclosure 100 in several views of
More specifically and while referring to
In short, connection channels 130 are meant to carry/route any type of optoelectronic connections between a given set or plurality of components of the optoelectronic device/system 101 housed by our instant monolithic enclosure 100. In the embodiments of
There is also an optical channel 140 that goes around the three sides of enclosure 100 as shown. Referring to
There is also a channel for transporting a coolant to and from the heated elements of the optoelectronic system 101. More specifically, there is a coolant channel 150 shown in
The above heat exchange/transfer results in cooling of the heated components and warming/heating up of the coolant. The heated coolant is then transported away from the heated elements and then out of enclosure 100 by channel 150. There are two external ports shown in
For exemplary optoelectronic device 101 of instant enclosure 100 of
As needed, pocket covers are attached/fastened onto enclosure 100 to cover and seal the cavities or pockets containing sensitive optoelectronic components. These covers may be attached using known techniques, either in recesses specifically created for them in enclosure 100, or without such recesses. Preferably, O-ring seals are used with the pocket covers for this purpose. Exemplarily, some of these recesses are explicitly shown in
For this purpose, suitable threaded boreholes or receptacles for the screws are designed and integrated into enclosure 100 along with its pockets and channels and any other features. Recall the above discussion in reference to screws 105A, 107A, 111A, 117A and 121A and respective receptacles 105B, 107B, 111B, 117B and 121B. The individual components are fastened to the enclosure by passing appropriately-sized fastening screws through fastening holes of the components and screwing them into their respective threaded receptacles designed in the enclosure. These boreholes of enclosure 100, fastening screws and fastening holes of the components are not always explicitly shown in the various views of
Table 2 below provides the bill of materials (BOM) 2 of folded laser resonator 100 of
Table 3 below provides a comparison between BOM 1 and BOM 2 by adding a column to the right-hand side of BOM 1 in Table 1 indicating the parts that are eliminated and/or simplified by the metal foam embodiments of the present design. Once again, notice the dramatic elimination and/or simplification in the number of parts required and which would result in corresponding economic and technical benefits derived therefrom.
The various optoelectronic components and assemblies in their respective pockets in an instant enclosure as described herein are to demonstrate the innovative aspects of the present design by way of example only. These components were required to operate an exemplary laser resonator. Depending on the implementation of the present principles, any other optoelectronic device and any types of components/assemblies required to operate it may be enclosed/integrated into an instant monolithic integrated enclosure of the present design.
Let us now review another optoelectronic apparatus, device, tool, module, system, instrument or implement 200 integrated into or enclosed/encased/encapsulated/packaged/housed by a monolithic integrated enclosure 202 of the present design as shown in
In a manner analogous to the previous embodiments shown and discussed in referenced to
Furthermore, and referring to
There are also connection channels carrying optoelectronic connections or signals for device 200. The outer interfaces of these optoelectronic connections are provided on panels 230A and 230B as shown in
The outline of optical path or optical channel is also visible as marked by reference numeral 240 in
Similarly to the embodiments discussed in reference to
In the most preferred embodiments, enclosures 100 and 200 of
The model is then provided to the 3D-printer in order to print or generate an instant enclosure, such as enclosure 100/200 of
The preferred embodiments of the present design employs metal foam for the composition of its instant monolithic enclosures because of the many desirable properties of metal/metallic foam. Many of these properties are shared by carbon-based materials employed by alternative embodiments. The carbon-based materials include but are not limited to carbon fiber, carbon nanotubes and In preferred graphene. various embodiments, the metallic/metal foam comprises an appropriate metal including an alloy or a compound of aluminum, copper, nickel, titanium, steel, magnesium and zinc or another suitable material. The desirable properties of the above materials include but are not limited to high tensile strength, elevated stiffness/rigidity, light weight, high energy absorption and damping, high thermal insulation, large surface area.
In the present embodiments employing 3D-printing to print instant monolithic enclosures or simply instant enclosures 100/200 of
Regardless of the type and density of the infill pattern, the channels in the instant enclosures that are required to carry a fluid, such as coolant channels 150 and 250 of
Preferably, the inside surfaces of all the features, including the pockets and the channels are also impermeable/non-porous. Preferably, the inside surfaces are also smooth as well as non-porous/impermeable. Furthermore, any other internal/external surfaces of the enclosure are also solid and smooth for bonding, and for aesthetic purposes. With the covers for the cavities/pockets attached per above teachings, this results in the entire apparatus being hermetically sealed.
In alternative embodiments, the instant monolithic enclosure is produced by other manufacturing techniques rather than 3D-printing. Thus, in one alternate embodiment, the present enclosure may also be machined from a slab of the source material, preferably metal foam. The metal foam slab may itself have a desired infill pattern. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that metal machining is a subtractive manufacturing process for shaping metal workpieces into desired forms by removing material from the workpiece. Metal machining involves the use of cutting tools and machinery to cut, drill, grind, or otherwise remove excess material from the metal workpiece, resulting in the final product with the required shape, dimensions, and surface finish.
Exemplarily in the present metal foam-based embodiments, an instant enclosure is machined by utilizing the following machining steps:
Per above teachings, it is important that the inside surfaces of all features, and especially the coolant channels, are impermeable or non-porous. For this purpose, and as/if needed, a separate finishing step may be performed at the end. Exemplarily, such a step may involve applying liquid metal or another suitable material to the desired inside surfaces. Alternatively, closed cell metal foam slabs/materials may also be employed in the present embodiment and from which an instant enclosure is machined.
Metal machining can be performed manually by skilled operators using conventional machines or through computer-controlled processes using CNC machines. CNC machining offers greater precision, repeatability, and the ability to produce complex shapes with high efficiency.
Still alternatively, the instant monolithic enclosure of the present metal foam-based embodiments may be produced by a casting process that utilizes liquid metal foam poured into a mold to produce the instant enclosure. Exemplarily, such a casting process involves the following steps:
More specifically for the present metal foam embodiments, one of the following methods may be used to create metal foam from molten metal: Gas Injection Method, Powder Metallurgical Method, Replication Method, Hollow Sphere Method, Direct Foaming Method, Electrodeposition Method, Centrifugal Process Method.
Per above teachings, it is important that the inside surfaces of all features, and especially the coolant channels, are impermeable or non-porous. For this purpose, and as/if needed, a separate finishing step may be performed at the end. Exemplarily, such a step may involve applying liquid metal or another suitable material to the desired inside surfaces. In still other embodiments, the instant enclosures may be produced by a combination of 3D-printing, machining and casting techniques.
In various preferred embodiments employing metal foam based instant enclosures, the metal foam comprises an aluminum compound or alloy. Alternatively, the metal foam may comprise any other suitable metal compounds or alloys including those of copper, nickel, titanium, steel, magnesium and zinc or a combination of the above.
Alternative embodiments employing carbon-based materials for producing the instant enclosures, may employ any or a combination of available of techniques that are suitable for the formation, manufacturing or 3D-printing of the carbon-based material. Thus, a carbon fiber-based instant enclosure may be 3D-printed analogously to an instant metal foam enclosure according to the teachings provided herein. A carbon nanotubes-based instant enclosure may employ one or more of the following manufacturing techniques: Arc Discharge (Carbon Arc Method), Laser Ablation, Floating Catalyst Method, Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (PECVD) and Electrochemical Deposition. A graphene-based instant enclosure may employ one or more of the following manufacturing techniques: Mechanical Exfoliation (Scotch Tape Method), Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD), Liquid-Phase Exfoliation (LPE), Oxidation-Reduction Method), (Hummers' Chemical Synthesis (Bottom-Up Approach), Epitaxial Growth and Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (PECVD).
The present technology of creating a monolithic enclosure can be used for integrating or encapsulating or encasing various types of devices employing a variety of components including electronic components, electrical components, mechanical components or a combination of the above. Optoelectronic or optoelectrical devices utilizing optical and electronics/electrical components are particularly suited for the present design.
This is because the housing, mounting, alignment and maintenance/upkeep of optical elements cause a variety of hardships in the prevailing art. These difficulties are either completely eliminated or substantially alleviated by the present design. Per above teachings, an instant monolithic enclosure includes integrated optics pre-aligned or pre-registered to each other, a sealed optical channel/path, coolant/cooling channels, connection/wiring channels, and electronics. Thus, the present design eliminates the laborious step of alignment/registration required in the prior art.
The various source materials for the instant enclosure provided herein, also allow for the enclosure to be lightweight, robust, and hermetically sealed. This reduces the need for additional optical mounts, housings, dust tubes, and dust couplers. Further, the integrated design greatly reduces part count and inventory requirements, leading to reduced production time and cost per above discussion. The present enclosure affords guaranteed alignment, power, and pulse width even under rough handling, thus reducing the need for shipping or handling precautions.
The present invention provides an innovative and efficient method of manufacturing and using industrial laser systems. It not only provides a cost-effective solution but also guarantees better performance and ease of use compared to existing systems. While the invention has been described with respect to a limited number of embodiments, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the invention, but rather as exemplifications of some of the preferred embodiments. Other possible variations, modifications, and applications are also within the scope of the invention.
Further, while the invention has been described using specific terms and examples, it is to be understood that the terminology used is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention, and the invention is not to be considered limited to what is shown in the description and drawings.
In general, the instant design accrues a number of benefits to a practitioner. These benefits of instant monolithic enclosures apply universally to any type of laser or any optoelectronic apparatus in general, and include:
The benefits of the present design further include:
The prior art of
It is possible to have a plurality of instant monolithic enclosures for a single optoelectronic system. In such a scenario, utilizing known techniques, a subset or all of the plurality of instant monolithic enclosures may be strongly or loosely connected to each other mechanically, or may not be connected to each other at all. Regardless, in order to accrue the benefits of the present principles, it is imperative to have an individual optoelectronic module of the larger optoelectronic system to be integrated into a single monolithic enclosure.
This way, the mechanical advantages including rigidity, robustness and other technical benefits of the instant design can be imparted to the specific optoelectronic module in a (single) monolithic enclosure. For instance, a separate alignment step for the optoelectronic components of that module will not be required per above teachings.
The present techniques may also be used to produce enclosures for any devices that have a large number of mechanical components. They may be used to produce monolithic integrated enclosures that integrate power supply/supplies for the end optoelectronic system/device as well as its cooling system(s). In addition, the typically separate power supply/control assembly and cooler assembly can both be integrated into one extremely light-weight 3D-printed enclosure. The water tank, heat exchanger, filter housings, pump housing, cooling channels, and the plumbing connections between them can all be 3D-printed into the enclosure itself.
Furthermore, all the electronics, power supplies, and control circuitry can be mounted around the sides of this integrated cooling enclosure using 3D-printed mounting holes, pockets, and cavities as needed. These electronic components can be conduction cooled by the 3D-printed water tank and the cooling channels that they are surrounding. All the electrical connections between the electronic components can be routed through 3D-printed channels integrated into the enclosure itself. This design eliminates the requirement for fans and heatsinks, making the electronic components themselves much more compact as well as the overall enclosure more compact and light-weight.
In view of the above teachings, a person skilled in the art will recognize that the methods of present invention can be embodied in many different ways in addition to those described without departing from the principles of the invention. Therefore, the scope of the invention should be judged in view of the appended claims and their legal equivalents.
